Various prior art arrangements have been developed to secure a wheel assembly, for example a spare tire, in a storage position of an automotive vehicle, for example to secure the spare tire in a trunk of an automobile. Such prior arrangements have generally been cumbersome and difficult to manipulate, particularly when the spare tire is located in a difficulty accessible location in the trunk.
In some instances more efficient tire or wheel retaining means have been provided but such arrangements have generally been prohibitively expensive.
In practice, in the automobile trade, it has been common to provide a luggage compartment in the rear portion of the vehicle body. The luggage compartment is usually arranged to have a spare tire and wheel carried on the floor thereof, where a loop or hook is provided and adapted to receive a j-bolt secured to the automobile frame. In such arrangements the location of the spare tire within the luggage compartment is determined by the configuration and location of the essential elements of the automotive vehicle. In some cases, it is necessary as a result of design considerations, to locate the spare tire storage facility in relatively inaccessible locations.
In general, the predominant arrangement for securing a spare tire in an automobile includes means where the j-bolt is adapted to be received in an eye located in the floor of the trunk of the automotive vehicle where the upstanding of the end of the j-bolt is threaded. The hook of the j-bolt is received in the eye and a butterfly nut is provided to engage the threaded portion of the j-bolt to secure the wheel in the automobile. Such devices require the use of both hands to secure the automobile tire within the trunk and in some instances require the vehicle operator to climb into the trunk to secure or release the tire.
Another prior art arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,807,204, Cucharan, which teaches a bar having a hook at one end where an opposite end of the hook is threaded to receive a lock mechanism.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 2,217,775, Smith, teaches an arrangement which includes a cam wheel having cam slots to extend and retract arms to secure a wheel in a given position where a central lock is provided to lock the arms in the extended position to retain the tire. Devices taught by the Smith reference are extremely complex to fabricate, expensive, and entail some difficulty in alignment for operation.
Other alternative arrangements, not within the scope of the present invention, have been provided to accomplish the purposes of the present invention but none has produced a device with satisfactory operability at the relative inexpensive cost incurred in producing devices in accordance with the present invention.